Ecuador’s president shows backing for Cuba

Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa said he will not attend the Summit of the Americas in Colombia, nor any other gathering that excludes Cuba or fails to address what he calls the region’s most pressing issues.

So far, Mr Correa is South America’s only left-leaning leader to confirm he will not attend the summit, which begins on 14 April. Leaders from 34 countries, including US president Barack Obama, are expected to attend.

In a letter to Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, Mr Correa said: “I have decided that while I am the president of Ecuador, I will not attend any Summit of the Americas until it begins to make the decisions required.

“There has been talk of lack of consensus, but we all know that this is the veto of foreign powers, the intolerable situation in our 21st century America.”

The US has said Cuba should not be invited because it is not a member of the Organisation of American States, which is backing the event.